Marionetta
by Graveyard of Hearts
Summary: After struggling with getting over a personal tragedy that happened years ago, young Mia Tanaka has dedicated her life to becoming a hero. Not the greatest hero, nor the most famous. Just a hero others can count on in their desperate time of need. When people felt the most helpless. With the promise of U.A. and a bunch of new friends, can she make her dream a reality?
1. Chapter 1

_Breathe... Just... Just breathe..._

Mia let out a soft sigh as she tried her best to steel her raging nerves, but her anxiety continued to rear its ugly head. Her fists clenched and unclenched, the muscles in her fingers spastic in a restless fit. At least other people in the crowd looked as she felt.

Right next to her, another teenage girl, a brunette with the cutest little blushies, fidgeted where she stood, hands clasped together at her chest as though she were praying. Mia's gaze softened just a tad and, before she knew it (because obviously, she was trying to psych herself up just like Mia was, and she would be throwing off her groove, and disturbing that would more than likely be rude), reached out to touch her shoulder. The girl jumped, a soft squeak, and looked down at the shorter teen. Mia's fair cheeks flushed just a tad before removing her hand. "Eh-heh... Sorry. I just.. You just looked so nervous right now. I didn't mean to disturb you. I just wanted to say... Good luck."

The other girl immediately beamed a bright smile. "You, too!" she said with a giggle. She opened her mouth and was about to say something else when-

"Right, let's start!" Everyone's attention, Mia's included, turned to the top of a nearby building where the Pro Hero, Present Mic, stood, his voice obnoxiously booming and demanding. "Get moving! There are no countdowns in real battles!"

That was all Mia needed before she quickly raced towards the giant doors as they crawled open, leaving the brunette behind her as well as her nerves. Her peers were not far behind her.

Almost immediately, one of the robots, a large number one painted on one of its arms, that emulated villains swooped in on the small child. Her eyes narrowed, and she promptly jumped out of the way as the hulking piece of metal swung one of its arms right where she stood. The concrete cracked under pressure.

"The hell? That thing coulda crushed me!" she yelled, straightening up. Which made sense. The examinees needed to give it their all to come out on top, and something that wasn't going to be an actual threat just wasn't going to cut it.

Several examinees stopped just behind Mia, some even looked like they were about to take out the robot. _It's mine._

"_Commencing attack_," the one-pointer announced just before it charged at her once more.

Mia's lips curled into a wicked grin, and her right hand twitched. Her fingertips began to glow, and she yelled, swiping her hand upwards into the air, five thin trails of lavender light trailing in her wake. At the ends of the light strings, they rippled and twitched, connecting to dark shapes that began to form a large mass. Suddenly, a body shot out of the mass, a trail of black fur all that you could see. "_Bunni Slash_!"

A loud whistle sounded through the air, followed by a harsh clash! Above the one-pointer, a large figure hovered, a sword in each hand, both drawn together. Matching slashes could be seen on the robot's face.

Mia was quick to react once more, her hand and fingers twitching as she swung her arm back down, the being following her command, much like a puppet obeying his puppeteer. Swords faced downward, the being lunged at the robot, digging its duel blades into the base of the neck. Another flick of the wrist and the being gave a harsh twist and a slice. The head came right off, sparks and loose wire flying from the mechanism as the rest of the body crumpled to the ground. The being reached up with each blade in its hand, and promptly stuck both at the top of its head. Those swords were _freaking_ bunny ears!

And the being? A puppet. A humanoid, bunny puppet with hollow, glossy black eyes and silky black fur.

Loud gasps could be heard behind her, and Mia couldn't tell if it was because they were surprised that someone as small as she was capable to take down a robot like that, or the fact that her Quirk was just so dang cool, if she could brag a bit. Probably a bit of both.

She looked back at any lingering bodies foolish enough to waste ten seconds watching her. Her eyes fell on a green-haired boy who looked like he didn't even belong here. But, then again, neither did she. He was quaking in his shoes. Her eyes narrowed even more and held up a finger. "One point. Good luck." And she was off. After all, they had less than ten minutes to get as many points as they could, and she was going to do just that.

* * *

_28…30…33_

In quick succession, Mia took down each robotic villains with relative ease. Time was quickly crawling to a close, and there were fewer and fewer robots in the area. At least, ones that would offer anyone anymore points, the scattered remains of hundreds of robots littering the battlefield. Quickly, she needed to find more. Preferably a few three-pointers. She feared she was running low on stamina, and keeping Lulu up and running was far more draining than she realized. Wisps of white hair clung to her forehead, damp with sweat.

She looked at Lulu, who stood battle-ready, waiting for her master to command her once more. "I'ma do something really stupid," she announced to the bunny puppet. Mia made Lulu nod as if she were agreeing with her. But, the youth thought it was safe enough to be... Somewhat reckless.

Without another thought, Mia flung Lulu high into the air, as high as she could go and yelled, "_Theatre Lights_!" Her eyes closed for a second, and when they opened, they weren't her eyes anymore. Glossy, lifeless...

_Black._

In the air, the hovering Lulu looked around, scanning the area, her eyes lifelike, irises lavender, just like her master.

Mia could see the expanse of the mock city, smoke rising from above the buildings from the battles that took place the past seven minutes. A few blocks away, she could see a few more robot villains scurrying about the city, untouched by the wannabe heroes.

Blinking rapidly, Mia's eyes returned to normal. In front of her was a boy with a tuff of messy green hair.

_Him again?_

He looked like he was about to burst into a fit of tears, looking around frantically at the scattered mess that laid at their feet.

"I need _just_ one…" It was faint, but she heard his desperate, helpless plea. Tears started pouring from his eyes, and Mia was instantly plagued with memories of herself, huddled in a corner as fear flooded over her body, helpless sobs as she watched the man before her, covered in blood, edge closer towards the frightened child before him...

"Hey!" she yelled, causing the boy to jump right out of his skin. He looked her way. "There's more that way." She pointed in the direction that she saw the other robot, and the kid, rightly so, blinked in confusion. A rival, was, after all, helping him.

Unfortunately, several other examinees heard her and started running towards more points.

That was when the ground began to shake. The buildings around them trembled, and the ground ahead of them buckled.

"What is going on?" Mia hissed, bringing Lulu in close.

She would get her answer.

Concrete and robots shot up into the sky, clouds of smoke debris wafting into the air, blocking everyone's vision for a moment. Until a giant hand swooped down and swiped at the ground. The burst of wind from the hand cleared the air, revealing a monster robot, far larger than any of the small fry. And far larger than the tallest building the mock city had to offer.

Mia took a step back, Lulu disappearing into a cloud of dust that blew away into nothing. There was no way any of them would be able to take that monstrosity down... There was no way...

That was when it hit her. That was the zero-pointer Present Mic had mentioned... This was the one that they should be running from.

Quickly turning away, Mia ran, pushing through the crowd of terrified examinees, who all seemed to have the same thought as she did. The top half of _a freaking skyscraper_ fell in their path, the monster's movements creating destruction that rained from above to block their escape. Large pieces of rubble began to crumble from the building and began to fall, and several teenagers began to scream, trying to move back to keep from getting crushed.

The crowd behind wouldn't budge... These kids were gonna die, flattened like pancakes...

_No. No, they weren't._

Letting out a ferocious yell, all of Mia's fingers began to glow, much brighter than before. Her fingers curled as another mass began to form, swirling and waggling. Her nose dripped scarlet, her hands shaky from the strain. Like before, a figure shot up from the dark portal, massive compared to Lulu, albeit a lot slower than the previous puppet. Another yell, strained and worn. This one put one hell of a toll on her. She never used him. Not unless she needed to.

She only ever needed to once before...

With both hands, she flicked and twitched. The new puppet reared back, and, with one, two, three punches mighty enough to make All Might proud, broke apart the falling piece of rubble, sending smaller, more manageable pieces raining down on the would-be heroes. Other kids used their Quirks to do away with the rest of the falling rubble.

The puppet disappeared, and as he did, Mia slumped with a soft groan, her vision growing blurry. She began to fall to the ground.

"I got you!"

She didn't know who had her, but she was mighty grateful that he did. Shame that she wouldn't be able to properly thank him, as she never found out who he was, finally succumbing to her fatigue.


	2. Chapter 2

Almost an entire week has gone by, and Mia was more than certain she didn't get in. A fear that was further fanned like a flame every time she went down to the lobby to see if she had received an acceptance letter. Six days and absolutely nothing.

Maybe they didn't want to invest in a child who fainted during the exam.

Her chest tightened at that thought, and she found herself just poking at her rice and egg. She hadn't even taken a single bite. Her rice had gotten cold, and the raw yolk broke and seeped into the rice. Her stomach just couldn't take anything other than worry and self-doubt.

She looked at the time. Aunt Hina should be coming home from work by now. And sure enough, the door to their apartment began to jiggle. The older woman burst through the door, her niece shrieking from the sudden action.

Aunt Hina was huffing, her cheeks reds and sweaty. Surely, she didn't run up the stairs? The elevator was working again… Her voice came out in incoherent wheezes. "…letter…have…look…"

"What?"

Aunt Hina took a moment to gather her wits, moving to sit in front of her niece. She didn't say anything, but, rather, she slid a white envelope across the table, the letters U. bold as day.

"Oh my gosh!" Mia pounced at the table, knocking her bowl of rice onto the floor. With the envelope in hand, she rushed to her room, chest heaving as she tore the paper apart with no hesitation. A small device, almost button-like, fell onto the floor. The whole room lit up as a large hologram shot up from such a tiny, curious thing.

But that wasn't what she was focused on. No. All she saw, was the largest smile ever. One everyone adored, herself included.

"Young miss Tanaka! Allow me to introduce myself. I.. Am All Might! And I am more than pleased to tell you that your display of skill and heroism during the exam was quite impressive." Behind him, a scoreboard popped up, with different names and scores. The camera slowly zoomed in on the number two spot, and Mia could not help the tiny squeal that tore from her throat. "As you can see, you've got quite an impressive score. Not only did you defeat your adversaries, but you also saved some of your peers from receiving substantial injury. As a U.A.'s newest teacher, I am proud to be able to call you a student! WELCOME TO U.A.!"

The tears could not be stopped as relief broke her.

* * *

Another week went by, and Mia, clad in her new school uniform, stood at the front gate of U.A. High, the alma mater of some of the greatest heroes in the history of heroes. She could barely contain her excitement.

Ahead of her, she saw a familiar tuff of green, and, despite her better judgment, she jogged up to meet up with him. "Hey!" Once again, the boy nearly jumped right out of his skin.

"H-hey," he greeted hesitantly, his cheeks glowing a faint red.

"So you got in? Cool! What class are you in?"

"1-A. The hero course."

"Me too!" Mia held out her hand. "Name's Mia. Mia Tanaka. Call me Mia, though."

He took her hand and shook it, his grip lacking any firmness to it. "Izuku Midoriya."

"I'll call you Izuku, then. Seems fair, don't ya think?" Before he had time to respond, she started ahead. "We better get to our homeroom. We don't wanna be late."

The two made their way through the building, admittedly having a bit of trouble finding the classroom. "Oh! Here it is!" Mia pointed ahead, a sign on the wall with their class letters, big and bold. That wasn't the only thing big and bold. The door was freaking massive.

"Don't tell me giants go to this school?" Izuku said, scratching his head as he stared at the door in wonder. He huffed out a sigh, and muttered, "The most promising students in the country are behind this door." He flinched and shook his head, stifling soft whimpers. "Maybe we're in different classes. Maybe everyone is nice.."

Without saying anything, Mia merely offered him a quirked eyebrow and reached for the door, pushing it open.

Immediately, she noticed two of the students were arguing, a sandy blond whom Mia already pegged to be a hothead, and another boy with glasses, who looked and sounded vaguely familiar… Oh, wait. He was in the same block as she was during the exam. She only caught a few glimpses of him while she was fighting.

"Take your feet off of that desk!"

"Hmm?"

"It's the first day and you're already disrespecting this academy by scuffing school property, you cretin!"

"You're kidding me, right? Your old school shove a stick up your ass or something? Or were you born with it?"

She could hear Izuku whimper once more. "Just my luck.."

Mia merely walked into the room as the two boys continued to bicker. She could already feel a headache forming. She heard a gasp as Specs, she thought she heard him say his name was Tenya Iida. "You would threaten me!? You're own classmate?!" What an incredulous thought. "Are you sure you're in the right place?"

Blondie was about to retort when he looked her way. Well... Not at her. Past her. At Izuku. His eyes narrowed only slightly. Iida followed his gaze and let out another gasp. "It's them." The other students turned to look at us, and Izuku let out a gasp himself. Mia shifted where she stood, frowning as the students stared.

"H-hi!" Izuku said, his voice wavering as he looked everywhere but at the kids who stared.

It was nice to know that she wasn't the only one uncomfortable.

"Good morning!" Iida greeted, quickly making his way over to the two students. Izuku took a step back and began to quiver. "My name is Tenya Iida fro-"

"Yeah, I-I know." Iida stopped in his tracks, clearly taken aback by Izuku's unease, though he didn't seem too surprised. Izuku let out a nervous chuckle, hands raised to his chest almost like a shield. "I'm Izuku Midoriya. It's super nice to meet you."

Iida nodded and turned his attention to Mia, his eyes and scowl stern. "Ah! I'm Mia Tanaka!" she said in a rush, her own hands raised to mimic Izuku.

Iida stepped closer to her, and she wanted to take a step back. He was intimidating, but she wouldn't show weakness. His next few words were not what she was expecting. "How are you feeling?"

"Huh?"

"During the exam, when you stopped those kids from getting hurt, you fainted. I had to bring you to Recovery Girl. Are you feeling better?"

"That was you?!" Now, that was where she recognized his voice... Mia bowed and smiled up at him. "I'm great! Thank you for keeping me from hurting myself!" He smiled, seeming to be super relieved. "The best thing for me was to just get some rest. I over wor-"

"Hey! I recognize that messed up hair! Falling boy!" Another gasp from Izuku, as well as the sudden outburst from the new girl who came up behind them. Mia did her best to hide her annoyance at being interrupted, but then it immediately melted away when she saw the girl with the cute blushies. She noticed Mia at the same time Mia noticed her, and promptly let out an excited squeak. "Oh my gosh, you're here too! That's fantastic! I'm not surprised, though. You were super good. You should totally sit by me!"

Mia couldn't help the smile that etched itself onto her lips, desperately wanting to be friends with this girl. She nodded.

The girl only continued to talk, this time her attention on Izuku. Mia took this as an opportunity to go find a seat. Well, two, cause the other girl wanted to be neighbors. She found one next to a boy with dual-colored hair, his nose buried in a book. She placed her bag on the floor next to her feet and sat down.

"If you're just here to make friends, then you can pack up your stuff now."

All three students at the door shrieked and suddenly froze, staring down at the hall in horror. Mia stared at them curiously, watching as they slowly backed away. Inching into the room, a slug. No. Not a slug. That was a man wrapped in a sleeping bag. He stood, and wiggled out of the sleeping bag.

He sighed, shaking his head. "It took eight seconds before you all shut up." His eyes narrowed. "That's not gonna work. Time is precious. Rational students would understand that. I'm your teacher, Shota Aizawa." Most of the class gasped. He looked so worn down and uninterested. He began to rummage through his sleeping bag and pulled an article of clothing, a red white and blue shirt. "These are your gym uniforms. Put these on-" Mia felt her body tingle in disgust. Why was that in there?! "And then head outside."

* * *

"A quirk assessment test?" the class chirped at the same time.

"But what about orientation? We'll miss it!" Ochaco, the girl with the cute blushies, exclaimed.

"If you really wanna make the big leagues, you can't waste time on pointless ceremonies." The students gasped, and Ochaco took a tentative step back, brows furrowed together only slightly. Aizawa only continued to speak, ignoring the concerned murmurs of his class. "Here at U.A., we're not tethered to traditions. That means I get to run my class however I see fit." He looked back at the class, and Mia saw a certain fire in his eyes. Her eyes narrowed in response. "You've been taking standardized tests for most of your lives. But you've never got to use your Quirks in physical exams before." Mia clenched her fists, her mouth set to a thin line.

"The country's still trying to pretend we're all created equal by not letting those with the most power excel. It's not rational. One day the Ministry of Education will learn." Aizawa shifted his gaze to the sandy blond hot-head. "Bakugo, you managed to score the most points on the entrance exam."

The boy in question smirked at that, letting out a prideful chuckle.

"What was your farthest distance throw with a softball when you were in junior high?"

Bakugo shrugged. "I dunno. 67 meters, I think."

"Right." Aizawa reached out with a softball, motioning for Bakugo to take it and step into a circle just a few feet away from the class. "Try doing it with your Quirk." Bakugo huffed and walked forward, snatching the ball and stepping into the middle of the circle. "Anything goes. I don't care what you do. Just don't step out of the circle." A second passed, and Aizawa sighed. "You not done yet? Come on. Clock's ticking."

Bakugo stretched with not a care in the world, no real hurry to his movements. "Alright, man. You asked for it." Suddenly, the blond switched gears, his face etched with determination. He took a stance, winding back for a throw. "DIE!" he yelled, hurling the ball into the air with a fiery explosion. The ball disappeared, and everyone just stared in disbelief.

"All of you need to know your maximum capabilities." His phone beeped, and he looked at it. "It's the most rational way to figuring out your potential as a pro hero." He held up his phone.

"705.2 meters?!" Mia was more than impressed.

Another blond with a black stripe through his hair was equally impressed. "Are you kidding me? That's insane!"

"I wanna go! That looks like fun!" A pink-skinned girl said, clapping her hands in excitement.

Aizawa's demeanor changed almost immediately. "So, this looks fun, huh?" he asked, his voice slow and chilled. "You have three years here to become a hero. Do you think it's all gonna be games and playtime? Idiots. Today, you'll compete in eight physical tests to gauge your potential. Whoever comes in last has none. And then will be expelled right on the spot." The students gasped again and murmured among themselves once more. "Still think this is gonna be fun?"

Ochaco puffed up, her eyes determined and her fists clenched together passionately. "You can't send one of us home! I mean, we just got here! Even if it wasn't the first day, that isn't fair!"

Aizawa was about to speak, but Mia started before he could let out his retort, much to his annoyance.

"The real world isn't fair," Mia spoke up, garnering the attention from her peers once more, and almost immediately, she shriveled up. Especially when Aizawa zeroed in on her.

"Mia Tanaka. You had the second-highest score during the entrance exam."

That caused quite the reaction.

"Well, that was unexpected. I didn't think _she_ was the one to beat my score."

"Her? No way."

"Shut up, all of you," Aizawa warned before his gaze returned to the white-haired teen. "Do share just exactly how unfair the real world is, Tanaka. Since you seem so adamant to teach my class instead of letting me do it myself."

Mia felt so small under his patronizing gaze, and she looked around. Eyes were on her. "The real world is full of horrible instances, out of our control. Natural disasters that claim lives. Villains. Accidents that wipe out entire cities." Her voice wavered a bit as she continued to speak, tears threatening to form in the corners of her eyes. But she blinked them away, glaring up at her new teacher. "Little kids watch their parents die and the villain gets away with it." Aizawa blinked, his eyes narrowing as he met her glare. "It only makes sense that you are equally as harsh."

Someone let out a low whistle. "Morbid."

"Someone watches too many scary movies."

"It looks like someone in this class isn't that big of an idiot after all." Aizawa's gaze softened, though not enough for many to notice. "The world is full of unfairness. It's a hero's job to combat that unfairness. If you can't handle it here, you aren't cut out for this type of job. And know that I am going to push you to your limits. For the next three years, U.A. will throw one terrible hardship after another at you. So go beyond. Plus Ultra-style." He raised a finger at the class, pointing at each one of his students.

"Show me it's no mistake that you are here." His lips twisted into a grin, his challenge becoming more real with each passing second.

Quickly wiping her eyes free from any tears, Mia grinned back, determination sparking a new light within her. She would prove she was worthy.

* * *

**Test 1: 50-meter dash**

Mia stood at the start, positioned and ready to go.

Next to her, Iida crouched, also awaiting their signal. "I'd like to apologize in advance," he announced, staring ahead.

Mia looked at him, tilting her head for just a moment before following his gaze. "Me too," she responded. Her fingers began to glow immediately after the ready-set-go, and black hands sprung up at her feet, tossing her in the air and towards the goal. She was flung through the air, making it about half-way across the track, stumbling as she caught her footing.

She expected to be far ahead of Iida, but just as she landed, he passed her, stirring dust with the soles of his shoes, exhaust in his wake. Her eyes narrowed, gritting her teeth. She dashed the rest of the way to the goal, but she was no match for Iida's speed. He reached the finish line with 3.04 seconds.

She had just above 4 and a half seconds.

"Heh. That's right in your element, huh? I thought I was fast!" Mia praised, resting a hand on his shoulder as she panted. "I underestimated you."

Iida looked like he was about to burst with joy at the recognition, his face curling and warming up to a bright red. "You were great too!" he yelled, his hands moving about her dramatically. "Most impressive!"

**Test 2: Grip Strength**

Nothing too impressive here.

**Test 3: Standing Long Jump**

Mia got as close to the starting line as possible, and, same as before, her fingers started glowing. Her feet propped against the soles of Lulu's feet. Lulu pushed, and Mia jumped, flying past the distance device. Her landing was a tad bit messier than she would have liked.

**Test 4: Repeated Side Step**

Mia didn't have any need to use her Quirk here. She was quick and nimble enough on her feet.

**Test 5: Ball Throw**

Mia stood in the circle, much like Bakugo did earlier. She bounced the ball in the air, absentmindedly staring off into the distance. How far could she make it?

"C'mon, Shortstop! You're wasting our time."

Mia turned to glare at Bakugo. "Shut up," she said, tossing the ball in the air one more time. This time, however, it did not fall back into her hand. Lulu, in her full glory, stood behind the teen, ball clenched in her fist. With her hand now outstretched, fingers twitching, Mia twirled around, her arm swinging high into the air. As she did so, Lulu followed after her, swinging outside of the circle in a circle and into the air. At the last possible second, Lulu released the ball and sent it flying in the air. She disappeared.

"452 meters."

"What, that's cheating! She didn't even throw it herself, and that freaky rabbit thing was outside the circle!" the kid with the weird balls on his head shouted. Mia never even noticed him! She was ecstatic to see that she wasn't the shortest in the class after all! "Just because she's hot doesn't give her the right to break the rules!" he pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

Aizawa just stared at the kid, before looking at Mia, who had never left the center of the circle. "I'll allow it." He looked at Izuku with slits for eyes. The poor kid. "Your turn. Move it."

He hesitantly made his way to the circle as Mia returned to the crowd, taking her spot next to Ochaco. To her left, the cute boy with red and white hair, the scar over his left eye. She wasn't focused on him, though. She was far too focused on Izuku. She could see sweat trickling down his forehead from where she stood. The poor kid wasn't doing that good... It was pretty obvious who was the one going home…

Iida spoke up. "This isn't good… If Midoriya doesn't shape up soon, he's the one going home."

Mia nodded. "I was thinking that the same thing. Look at him. He looks so.." Desperate.

"Huh?" Mia's eyebrow quirked in annoyance as Bakugo's obnoxiously loud voice rang through her ears. "Of course he's going home. He's a Quirkless loser!"

Mia looked over at Bakugo, her annoyance fading into shock. "Wait. Seriously?"

Iida looked at Bakugo as well. "What, no. He has a Quirk. Did you not hear about what he did at the entrance exam?"

"No," Mia said, furrowing her brows as she spoke up before Bakugo could. Both Iida and Ochaco looked at her.

"How do you not know?" Ochaco yelped, tilting her head. "You were in the same block as us."

"Tanaka was busy performing her own heroic feat," Iida said, his fists clenched dramatically before resting a hand over his chest. "Knocked herself unconscious sa-"

"Yes, yes. We know what I did. I fainted." Mia looked to the ground, though, out the corner of her eye, she could see a pair of dua colored eyes studying her. "It's embarrassing. Anyways. What did Izuku do?"

"When that big robot attacked, some of the debris fell on me and pinned me down. Izuku came to my rescue and took it down with one punch."

Mia just stared at Izuku, her eyes growing wide. "Seriously? He took that thing down?!"

Bakugo simply growled. "I don't believe it."

As much as it pained her to side with Hot-Head, she had to agree. Izuku was showing no potential, and he was failing miserably at these tests. "Whatever he did, he needs to do it again," she whispered, gripping her hands together as she watched Izuku wrestle with his inner demons.

Then he moved, rearing back, ready to throw. The air about the boy changed, and you'd have to be stupid to not notice or feel it. Mia gasped. Was he going to do it? Marvel them while all this time playing the underdog?

Was he playing them for fools?

No. She's barely known him for a day, and she could already tell that he wasn't that kinda guy.

He threw, the look of determination on his face admirable. How the hell did he go from looking like he was ready to cry to a man on a mission to prove himself? Then it hit her like a ton of bricks.

_He had something to prove…_

The ball went 46 meters.

"What? What gives? I was trying to use it just now…"

"I erased your Quirk."

The class turned to look at Aizawa, his scarf floating around him, along with his hair… What? "The judges for this exam were not rational enough. Someone like you should never be allowed to enroll at this school."

"You did what to my-" Izuku's eyes widened. "Those goggles… I know you! You can look at someone and cancel out their powers. The Erasure Hero. Eraser Head!"

"Who's that?"

"I've heard of him. He works on the down-low."

Mia ignored her classmates. Her focus remained on Izuku and Aizawa. "You're not ready." The sting of those three words looked like they stabbed straight through the green-haired youth. "You have no control over your Quirk. What, were you planning on breaking your bones again? Count on someone else to save your useless body?"

"No! That's not what I was trying to do!"

Too fast to dodge, the end of Aizawa's scarf shot forward, wrapping around the boy and dragging him closer. The rest of their conversation was inaudible to the rest of the class.

"I wonder what he's saying to Izuku?" Mia whispered, mostly to herself.

"Maybe he's saying something encouraging?" Ochaco replied, her voice far too chipper as if she were forcing herself to believe that.

Mia shook her head. "Not with the way Aizawa is looking at Izuku."

"Our teacher doesn't necessarily look like the encouraging type, either." A new voice.

Mia cast a careful glance up at the boy next to her, and when he noticed, he looked back. His eyes were pretty.. Especially the turquoise... "Ah... Yeah. That's what I was thinking!" Mia quickly looked away, her cheeks flushing ever so slightly. "Todoroki, right?" He nodded. She didn't bother calling him by his first name. He didn't seem like the type to appreciate a stranger being so informal with him. She already knew it, though. His name. She made a point to remember it when Aizawa called it. She just wanted an excuse to talk to him. "You're perceptive. An- Oh, look! Izuku is going to throw again!"

Todoroki turned his attention away from the girl, and, sure enough, Izuku was setting up again. Like before, he stood there, either hyping himself up or trying to come up with a way to do what he needed to do. Probably both, in all honesty.

He took a stance and vaulted the ball into the air like it was nothing. Mia arched a brow, huffing out a chuckle. "Well, I'll be…" She grinned.

"705.3 meters." Not by much, but it was farther than Bakugo.

"Mr. Aizawa... See. I'm _still_ standing!" He clenched his fist, triumphant yet shaken. The discoloration of his finger indicated that is was broken, yet he showed very little reaction to it. Save for a few welling tears.


	3. Chapter 3

"There we go! Let your true power shine!" Ochaco whooped, bouncing and clapping her hands. Her bubbly excitement was quite infectious, and, even if she wasn't already smiling from Izuku's accomplishment and showing Aizawa up, it would have definitely rubbed off on Mia.

"His finger appears to be broken now," Iida pointed out. "Just like at the exam. His Quirk has some very peculiar draw-backs. It's not very effective. Powerful, yes…"

"I would say it's more so his body isn't suited for that kind of power," Mia retorted, thoughtfully cupping her chin as she stared at the boy. "And, if I were to go off of Bakugo-" A quick glance towards the sandy blond, who had the most amusing mixture of shock and anger on his face. "I'm assuming they've known each other for a long time. He said Izuku was Quirkless." She gave the slightest of inclinations of her head.

That meant one of two possibilities: either Izuku just got his Quirk, or he has been lying about it all his life. And, as unlikely as it was, Mia knew just where she was placing her bets. And, as his shocked face twisted into a complete rage, Mia knew Bakugo had placed his bets on the other possibility.

His hands began to sizzle, small bursts of fire from his shaking palms. Before anyone could react, the raging teen charged at Izuku. "Deku, you bastard! Tell me how you did that or you're dead."

Poor Izuku looked like he was about to piss himself, nervously screaming. Mia's fingers started to glow, but something shot through the air, waggling about like a snake, and wrapped around the hormonal teen. He couldn't move, struggling to even look back at their teacher.

"Why the hell is your damn scarf so strong?" he growled.

"Because," Aizawa started matter-a-factually, his eyes glowing and his hair flying about. "It's a capture weapon made out of carbon fiber and a special metal alloy. Stand down." The air chilled as he spoke those words, his authority absolute. After a moment, he blinked, his hair falling back into place as he released Bakugo from his hold. "Now, stop wasting my time. Whoever's next, get on with it.

He turned away, and as he did, Izuku slowly inched away from the blond, hands clenched at his chest as his face twisted with unease. Once he was far enough, he quickly ran towards the rest of the class, sulking between Mia and Ochaco.

"You're finger. Is it okay?" the brunette asked.

Izuku nodded. "It's fine. It doesn't hurt too bad."

"Are you okay?" Mia asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

His face flushed brightly. "Ah, well, I just said I'm-"

"I don't mean your finger," she interrupted, casting a wary glance over at the unstable blond who was glaring at Izuku.

"O-oh. Uhm... It's fine. He's always been like that.."

"He sounds like a jerk," Mia concluded, crossing her arms as she shot her own glare at him.

* * *

After that, the class did the remaining three tests. Nothing interesting happened, which was probably for the best. After Bakugo's little scene, no one wanted to risk the ire of Aizawa again.

They huddled around their teacher. "Alright. Time for your results. I've ranked you all from best to worst. I'm not going to go through each individual score, but you should all have a relatively good idea on where you stand." He pulled out his phone and produced a hologram, displaying twenty-one names.

Everyone huddled closer to find their name. Mia found hers at number five. With a smile and a nod, she turned her attention to the last spot. Her smile fell, shoulders slumped.

_Oh, no…_

She looked at Izuku, his eyes welling with tears. She sighed. She wanted to lay a hand on his shoulder once more, desperate to comfort him. She reached out.

"And I was lying." Her hand jerked to a halt. "No one's going home." Everyone looked at Aizawa with equally shocked expressions. "That was a rational deception to make sure you gave it your all."

Several of her classmates let out shocked gasps. Others yelled. Izuku was close to fainting from obvious relief.

"I'm surprised you didn't figure that out," Yaoyorozu said, scratching her cheek. "I'm sorry. I guess I should have said something."

Several of her classmates, all of which Mia assumed to have scored pretty low, all agreed that she should have.

"We're done for the day. Pick up a syllabus in the classroom. Read it over before tomorrow morning." He turned to Izuku, handing him a slip of paper. "Take this, and have the old lady fix you up." Izuku took the slip, his brows knitted together. "Things are gonna be tougher tomorrow when your actual training begins. Make sure you're prepared."

He left, and everyone was quick to make it back to the class to pick up the syllabus. There was no need to stay, after that. They had missed orientation.

Mia was slow to gather her things, tossing her backpack over her shoulder. _What a strange day…_

She heard a soft shuffling next to her, and she glanced over to see Todoroki retrieving his own things. He looked up to see her staring. She swallowed thickly, her cheeks warming, as she quickly turned her attention to the syllabus in hand.

_Say something. Don't be the weird girl who just stares..._

"Uhm, you did really good," she said, fidgeting a bit before looking back up at him. "During the exam."

He didn't say anything.

_Did I do something to offend him?_ She clenched at the page, wrinkling it just a bit.

"Do... Do you want to walk out together?" she asked, silently berating herself. Could she be any more obvious? Even he looked a little taken back by her request. "I just figured, ya know. We're gonna be desk-mates for a long while. We could get to-"

"Sure. I guess that wouldn't be a problem, Tanaka."

Mia blinked and smiled up at him. "Cool! But, seriously, call me Mia."

He furrowed his brows. He definitely didn't seem like the informal type, as she suspected. But he got over it, nodding his head. "Alright. Mia." No request to call him Shoto. That was fine.

Beaming, she started for the door, glancing back to make sure he was following after her. He fell into step beside her, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Hey, Mia!" The white-haired youth looked over to see Ochaco rushing over to the two, followed by Izuku and Iida. Shoto looked a bit apprehensive as more people approached. "Let's walk out together."

"Alright," she chirped.

Izuku slumped as soon as the group, as well as a hesitant Todoroki, started to leave the building. "Man... I'm so tired," he murmured. And he definitely looked it.

"How's the finger?" Mia asked.

"It's fine. Recovery Girl is amazing!"

"I have to admit, Aizawa's approach to his class is a bit questionable," Iida started. "But, I trust the school's judgment. U.A. is the top program. However, lying is just so… Immoral."

"I don't think he was lying."

Everyone turned their attention to Mia.

"You don't?" Ochaco asked.

Mia shook her head. "No. I think he had every intention to expel the person in last place." She focused in on Izuku, eyebrow quirked slightly. "I think you changed his mind."

Izuku let out a surprised squeal and started shaking his head. "What? No, I don't think so. How could I have done that?" His eyes widened suddenly, and he looked up at the sky, softly muttering to himself. Mia could only catch snippets.

Mia shrugged. "I could be wrong. But, ya know. You were still standing. Not broken, like he suspected you to be. Whatever he said to you, you proved him wrong."

"Yeah! That was amazing, Deku!" Ochaco praised, bouncing as she walked.

Izuku flinched a bit. "D-Deku?!"

"Yeah, isn't that what Bakugo called you?"

"We-well, yeah. Bu-but, you see, "Deku" is a nickname Kacchan calls me to make fun of me."

"So, he's a jerk and a bully," Mia said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"That seems likely," Todoroki quipped.

Ochaco rubbed the back of her head, her cheeks faintly changing color. "S-sorry! I didn't realize. That's a shame, though. I liked it. I thought "Deku" was really cute."

_"DEKU IT IS!"_

"Just like that? Didn't you _just_ say it was an insult?"

Izuku covered his face, a faint trace of his flushed skin barely visible. "Paradigm shift! My whole world is upside down."

"Huh?"

"Heh…" Mia couldn't help the soft chuckle, her gaze softening as she watched her classmates. She felt like she could get along with this group. "Mind if I call you Deku, too?"

_"NOT AT ALL!"_

Laughter rose from the group. Hell, Mia thought she even saw a soft smile form on Todoroki's face, though she wasn't too sure.

* * *

The next morning came quickly, which brought the official first day of school.

At first, it went by like a regular day of school, what with your typical core classes, like math, English, whatnot. Most of those were in the mornings.

It went by pretty quickly. Most of the class looked bored out of their minds, though Mia couldn't fault them for that. She was pretty sure some thought the academic portion of schooling was behind them, and that they would get to focus on hero stuff.

Lunchtime came around, and everyone met in the cafeteria where everyone was served delicious food from the freaking Cook Hero himself, Lunch Rush. This place was so cool.

Mia walked through the crowd, her tray in hand, looking for Deku and her other friends. She spotted them a little ways away before she spotted a certain boy with red and white hair, a few empty seats around him. She glanced back at her other friends before making her way over to him.

"Hey," she chirped, causing him to glance up at her. "This seat taken?"

He looked at the seat directly across from him, blinking in confusion. "I don't think Hagakure is sitting there," he said, his gaze returning to her.

"No, she's sitting over there." Sure enough, the invisible girl sat with a couple of their classmates, chattering away as teenage girls did. He stared at her. "Sooooooo… You don't mind if I sit with you?"

"Why would I mind?"

Mia took that as an invitation to sit with him. "I dunno. Why would you?" He opened his mouth, probably to spout out a reason or two, but Mia held up her hand. "Rhetorical question. Don't answer."

The two ate in silence. Well, mostly in silence. Mia did try to strike up a conversation, but his responses were rather minimalistic. It was as if he didn't really want to talk.

_Maybe he isn't super into the idea of having friends…_

Or into being friends with her, specifically.

Either way, both thoughts stifled her attempts at trying to make conversation.

She was just about finished with her food, and, deciding she had her fill, both of food and the silence between them, got up to leave.

"Did I offend you?"

Mia stopped and looked at Todoroki. She sighed and shook her head. "No. I kinda assumed I may have offended you."

He was silent again, staring at the remainder of his food. "You didn't."

After another moment, he, too, stood up, tray in hand. The two dumped their trays off just. Not too long afterward, lunch was over, and everyone filed back into their classroom.

Once everyone was in their seats, whispers buzzed across the room. Excited little buzzes. Hero Basic Training.

All Might, their teacher. Plenty of the kids looked up to the Pro, and all couldn't believe that he was there!

The door began to slide open, which silenced all the chatter, and suddenly, a body flew through the door with finesse and charm.

"I am here! Look at me, heroically entering the classroom!"

Mia let out an awed gasp, clasping her hands together as the giant of a man flamboyantly posed in front of his students, wearing his Silver Age costume.

_Oh, how nostalgic!_

"Oh my gosh! All Might!"

"Wow! He really is here! This year is gonna be totally awesome!"

All Might stood at the front of the class, hands resting on his hips as he smiled his dazzling smile that so many fell in love with.

All eyes were on him. After all, his presence was one that demanded apt attention.

"Welcome to the most important class at U.A. High! Think of it as Hero-ing 101! Here, you will learn the basics of becoming a pro. And, what it means to fight in the name of good." He threw his arms up and began to flex, his muscles rippling beneath the colorful spandex. "Let's get into it! Today's lesson will pull no punches!" He threw out a card, the word **BATTLE** large as day, his dramatic flair a wondrous sight.

"Fight training!" Bakugo yelled, a bit too excitedly.

"Real combat?" Deku didn't sound… Quite as excited, to put it lightly.

"Yes!" All Might continued. "But! One of the keys to being a hero is…" He pointed at the wall. "…looking good!" Several panels opened and slid out, revealing cases with numbers on them. "These were designed for you based on your Quirk registration forms and the requests you sent in before school started."

The class could barely contain their excitement, gasps, cheers, and even a _whoop-whoop-hurray!_ was thrown in there.

"Our costumes! Alright!" Kaminari whooped.

All Might grinned, quite pleased. "Right! Suit up! And then meet me at Training Ground Beta!"

No one needed to be told twice, students rushing to get their assigned cases. Mia headed straight for the girl's locker room, the other girls in tow. It dawned on her that there weren't that many girls in the class. Six. Seven, including her.

"Oh, this is so exciting!" the pink girl, Ashido, gushed.

Mia removed her uniform until she was in only her bra and panties, neatly folding it and placing it aside. Opening her case, she let out a soft squeal. Her costume looked so goooood! And it wasn't even out of the case yet. She couldn't believe it! She pulled it out, setting each individual piece aside.

She slipped into the first piece, a tight-fitting, turtleneck jumpsuit, mostly white in color, save for the black shoulders and neck, along with the black alternating horizontal strips that started right at her elbows and right above her knees. The fabric felt like a dream and felt oh so breathable. Next, she slipped into a short, strapless corset dress. The corset was a dark purple, three large, white buttons went down the front middle. The bust of the dress was a lighter purple, a shade or two from matching her eyes, with black embroidery lining the top. The skirt of the dress resembled a frilly miniskirt, each frill alternating between the two tones of purple.

_Dark-light-dark._

She swooped a rather lovely, glittery black cape that fell to her knees over her shoulders, the inside black and white stripes. She tied it at her neck with a dainty, purple bow, which matched the bows that were placed at the tops of her mid-calf boots with matching purple laces.

The final piece, one that would put it all together, was the bit that she was most excited for. A lovely Volto mask, the color of pure ivory save for the rosy cheek blushies and a painted smile. The eye slits were wide enough just so that she could see properly, and was painted a dark purple. To give the illusion of makeup, the "lids" of the eyes were painted a light lavender, as well as given quite the dramatic cat-eye.

She looked herself over in one of the mirrors, double-checking to make sure everything was in order. Yes, she looked fantastic! She straightened her hair, making sure it fell over her mask perfectly and made sure her hair clips were in their proper place.

She looked like a proper hero.

Well… A proper hero in training, anyways.


	4. Chapter 4

Mia waited for Ochaco at the locker room exit. She didn't have to wait too long.

"Mia! I love your costume!" the brunette gasped, hopping up next to her friend. "The glittery cape is fantastic!"

Mia let out a soft giggle and gave a soft twirl, letting the cape whoosh around so that Ochaco could see it in all its shimmery glory. She was beaming, though Ochaco wouldn't know. "Your costume is super cute! I love it!"

Ochaco blushed, cupping her cheeks bashfully. "I didn't think it was gonna be so tight," she whined, reaching down to tug at the fabric at her thighs. "It leaves very little to the imagination."

"Well, I still love it!"

Ochaco smiled softly at Mia. "Oh! Let's take a picture!" Before Mia could protest, Ochaco wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer while shoving her phone high into the air. "Strike a pose!"

_CLICK!_

Ochaco looked at the picture and squealed. "That's a keeper!" She showed it to Mia.

Both girls were huddled close together, holding up a peace sign over an eye. A goofy grin on the brunette's face. You couldn't see it, but Mia had smiled for it, too.

"Send that to me?" Mia asked, looking up at Ochaco.

"Yeah! Gimme your number!" Mia took her phone and keyed in her information. She handed it back. A few seconds later, her phone let out a soft beep. "That's me!"

Mia took out her phone and saved the photo, as well as Ochaco's number. She paused before quickly setting the picture as her wallpaper. Tucking the phone away, she linked arms with the brunette. "Let's go!"

* * *

All Might waited patiently for his class, standing in the middle of the street of another mock city. How many of these things did the school have?! Were they just that rich?

With pride and a renewed determination, they walked through the dark entrance to the training area. All Might's grin widened once his eyes fell on his class. "They say that clothes make the pros, young ladies and gentlemen, and behold! You are proof!" Once they walked out of the tunnel and into the sunlight, the gleam in his eyes intensified. "Take this to heart. From now on you are all heroes in training!" He let that sink in as he fell silent, taking a moment to quickly look at each and every one of his students. "This is getting me all revved up. You look so cool!"

Mia couldn't agree more. She, too, took a moment to admire her class. Her eyes fell on Todoroki, who stood closer in the back. Her head cocked to the side as she took in his curious choice of clothing. Mainly, the icy armor coving solely his left side.

"Now. Shall we get started, ya buncha newbies?"

* * *

"Alright! It's time for combat training."

"Sir," the guy in the rad-looking suit of armor spoke up, raising his hand. Iida. "This is the fake city from our entrance exam. Does that mean we'll be conducting urban battles again?"

All Might shook his head. "Not quite!" He shot two fingers in the air. "I plan on moving you two steps ahead! You see, most of the villain fights you see on the news take place outside. However, statistically speaking, run-ins with the most dastardly evildoers take place indoors."

Mia's fists clenched and let out a soft grunt, slowly nodding her head. This was true…

"Backroom deals. Home invasions." Her fists clenched even tighter. "Secret underground lairs. Truly intelligent criminals stay hidden in the shadows. For this training exercise, you'll be split into teams of good guys and bad guys and fight two-on-two indoor battles. Well, for the most part. One team will have three members."

A girl in a green jumpsuit looked a little concerned, her brows furrowing. "Isn't this a little advanced?"

"The best training is what you get on the battlefield! But, you can't just punch a robot this time. You're dealing with actual people now."

"Sir, will you be the one deciding who wins?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"How much can we hurt the other team?" Mia heard Bakugo ask.

"Do we need to worry about the losers getting expelled like earlier?" Ochaco asked.

"Will you be splitting us up based on chance or comparative skill?"

"Isn't this cape Tr- Hey! Why are you copying my cape, Bunny Girl?!"

All of these valid questions. However…

"Would you let him speak, please?" Mia groaned, facepalming and letting out a rather annoyed sigh as she noticed All Might holding back his own annoyed growl.

"Ah! Sorry…" Both Iida and Ochaco shrank in embarrassment.

All Might cleared his throat before clapping his hands together. When he opened them, a tiny booklet flopped open. In a poorly rehearsed display, he began to explain. "The situation is this! The villains have hidden a nuclear missile somewhere in their hideout. The heroes must try to foil their plans. To do that, the good guys have to either catch the evildoers or recover the weapon. Likewise, the bad guys will succeed if they protect their payload or capture the heroes."

"Sounds like an action movie set up," Deku murmured. Mia nodded.

All Might picked up a bright yellow box, the word "Lots" in bold print. "Time's limited. We'll choose teams by drawing lots!"

"Isn't there a better way?" Iida asked.

"I mean, pros team up with heroes from other agencies on the spot all the time," Mia said.

"We wouldn't always get to team up with the partner of our choice. Maybe that's why we're leaving this up to chance," Deku added/

"Ah, right. That is correct. Life is a series of random events after all." He bowed at All Might. "Excuse my rudeness!"

"No sweat! Let's draw!"

Pretty soon, everyone was split into teams.

**Team A:** Deku and Ochaco

**Team B:** Todoroki and some guy with several arms named Mezo Shoji

**Team C:** Yaoyorozu and the weird ball head kid, Mineta

**Team D:** Bakugo and Iida

**Team E:** Yuga Aoyama and Ashido

**Team F:** Rikido Sato and Koji Koda

**Team G:** Denki Kaminari and Kyota Jiro

**Team H:** Fumikage Tokoyami and Tsuyu Asui

**Team I:** Mashirao Ojiro and Toru Hagakure

**Team J:** Eijiro Kirishima and Hanta Sero

The only person who was not drawn was, you guessed it, Mia.

"Uhm... Sir. What about me?"

"Yes, yes, I haven't forgotten about you. Come, draw a name. Whoever you draw, that's the team you're on."

Mia stepped forward, All Might holding the box out after he had dumped all the names back inside. "Wouldn't it have been easier to have drawn three names at the very beginning? Or just stick me with the last team?" she asked, reaching into the box and digging around.

All Might froze, blinking a bit as if he hadn't even thought about it. "Why, yes it would have! But we are doing this!"

Mia pulled out a name, silently praying that she got Todoroki or the other kid. She looked at the paper and instantly threw it on the ground. "I want a do-over."

"There are no do-overs. Young Tanaka will be joining young Bakugo and Iida!" He looked at the young girl, his smile never changing. His tone was calm and softer, for her ears only. "Sometimes, a hero must put aside their differences and work alongside others they may not get along with. Cooperativeness is important. Other people's lives are more important than any little squabble you may or may not have."

Mia let out a soft sigh and nodded her head. "Yes sir.."

"Now. The first two teams to go head to head will beeeeeeee…" All Might began to draw lots once more, both hands in two separate boxes. He pulled out two balls. "…these guys! Team A as our shining heroes, and Team D as our dastardly villains!"

Mia gasped and looked over at her friends before glancing at Bakugo, who was just glaring at Deku. Her eyes narrowed…

"Everyone else can go to the monitoring room and watch."

"Yes, sir!"

Everyone who wasn't Team A and D quickly dispersed. All Might looked between the two teams, his smile minute. He gave each team communication devices so that they could talk to their respective team, as well as a bit of capture tape. After Deku and Ochaco were sent away, Mia and her team got a detailed outlay of the building that was to be their hideout, all of which studied it as best they could.

"Young Iida. Young Bakugo. Young Tanaka." The three looked at All Might. "The key to this being successful in this challenge is to embody villainy. Think from the perspective of an evildoer. But know, if things get too out of control, I will step in."

Soon enough, they were taking their places. They had five minutes before the heroes were let loose. Mia stood by the door, propped against the frame. Her eyes remained glued on the sandy blond.

Iida was walking towards the missile, hands on his hips. "Even though this is training, it pains me to be aligned with criminal behavior." He looked up at the missile. "So this is our weapon." He gave it an experimenting knock. "Fake, as to be expected."

"Hey," Bakugo called out suddenly, which caused Iida to look at him as well. "Do you _really_ think Deku has a Quirk?"

"You saw how he threw that ball."

"I don't think a _Quirkless loser_ would have been able to throw it as he did," Mia added.

"His power does hurt his body though."

_C'mon, blondie… Use your head._

"Why is it that you seem especially angry when it comes to Midoriya?"

Bakugo didn't answer. His body only tensed. Shaking as his scowl grew into a toothy grimace. Or maybe it was a smirk. An angry smirk…

_"Alright! Let's begin the indoor combat training!"_ All Might's voice could be heard over the intercom, which stifled any conversation between them. _"Team A and Team D, your time starts now!"_

Almost immediately, Bakugo rushed towards the door. In the same motion, Mia blocked the door.

"We should stay here," she said, silently gulping as he towered over her. "Set up a defensive strategy."

"Out of my way, Shortstop!" he growled, clenching his fist at her. "I've got a damn nerd to kill!"

"You idiot! Your mission is to protect the missile. Not beat up Izuku. I'm not gonna let you make us fail this just cause your ego is bruised and your shortsightedness is- AH!"

Bakugo swiftly grabbed her by the shoulder and shoved her out of his way and onto her rear, storming out of the room. "Like you could stop me from doing anything," he growled.

Mia huffed, grumbling. "What an idiot."

Iida walked over to her, holding out his hand. "It can't be helped." After she took it, he let out a soft grunt as he hoisted her to her feet. "You and I will just have to guard the bomb."

Mia nodded.

That was when there was a loud explosion, and the walls gaze a minor shook. "What was that?!"

"Our teammate sounds like he found what he was after." Iida pressed the button on his earpiece. "Bakugo!" he called out. No answer. "Bakugo, answer me. Give me a status update!"

_"Just shut up and defend the weapon! I've got more important things to worry about."_

"Dude, seriously. Our mission should be top prior-" She heard a click, and then silence. "He hung up on me!"

"It'll be fine. Here. Help me with this."

"With what?"

"With Bakugo focusing all his attention on Midoriya, Uraraka will most likely come here by herself. We have some cleaning to do."

That's when it dawned on her. "There's so much stuff laying on the ground. She could use any of it against us with her Quirk." Iida nodded. "Let's get to cleaning."

As they moved worked about, Mia could hear several more loud explosions, each one making her flinch. Thank God her mask hid her worry…

"Bakugo definitely has a villainous side…" She looked up to see Iida, talking to no one in particular. "And that's exactly what we need to succeed."

"I wouldn't go that far," Mia said, walking over to her friend.

"No, I mean it. Remember what All Might said?"

"Yeah?"

"We need to embody villainy. Obviously, not to the extreme Bakugo is. And, even if he is a little extreme, it sounds like he's not pulling any punches with Midoriya. It's criminal. And, for a little bit, I am going to devote myself to doing the same."

Mia cupped her chin, brows furrowing. He had a point. When they crossed paths with Ochaco, she needed to look at her not as a friend, but as an enemy and give it her all. Not hold back.

"Alright. I'm with you."

"To become a hero, we must embrace evil! Therefore…" Iida turned to face the doorway, his tone overly dramatic, not unlike the cartoony villains who twirled their curly mustaches. "Behold! I am the personification of villainy." And then the cackle…

Mia leaned against the wall, slapping it as laughter poured from her lips.

Iida gasped. "You dare to laugh at me? The lord of all evil?!"

There was another chuckle, though this time?

_It wasn't from Mia._

Both Mia and Iida paused and slowly turned. Sure enough, Ochaco hid behind a pillar, trying to hold back the laughter that got her caught. Mia glowered in her friend's direction, head hanging to cast a sinister shadow over her mask. "No use hiding, Uraraka," Mia cooed, deciding to join in on the whole "embodying villainy" thing. He looked so delighted. "We know you're there."

She heard a hesitant groan, and she stepped out from behind the pillar.

Iida pointed at her. "I knew you would try to come here alone once Bakugo went after Midoriya. You're Quirk allows you to float anything that you touch, but you see… I have brilliantly prepared for that! Look around you! There is nothing for you to touch! You blundered, and I am victorious! _**BWHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA!**_"

Both Mia and Ochaco just stared at him, stunned. "Okay, I'm not doing _that_."

She stepped forward as Iida continued his monologue, watching as Ochaco spoke into her radio. Her hands twitching and curling, her fingers glowing, two dark portals began to form on both sides of Mia. Ochaco took a frightened step back. Even Iida shut up.

Out of one portal stepped Lulu, her fists curled. Out of the other, a new being emerged. Larger than Lulu, though not as large as the other Puppet she summoned at the entrance exam.

"Allow me to properly introduce to you my Puppets. You already know Lulu. Say "hi", Lulu." The subtlest twitch of her finger and Lulu lifted a hand, waving at Ochaco. "And this…" The white body of the new puppet flapped her wings, her razor-sharp feathers flaring and stretching about. Black eyes stared over the dull orange bill on her face. "This is Pecci. Say "hi", Pecci." The large duck-like being raised her wing and flapped it at Ochaco, mimicking Lulu's action.

"M-Mia… You're really scary r-ri-right now…"

"I'll make it up to you later." With that, Lulu charged ahead, fist raised.

Ochaco let out a frightened squeal and leaped back just as her fist connected with the ground. That was when they all heard the loudest explosion yet. One that really shook the walls.

One that distracted both Mia and Iida.

"Bakugo! Was that you who caused that explosion?!"

"No, I'm pretty sure that was Deku," Mia quipped sarcastically, turning back just in time to see Ochaco fly overhead. "Shit!" She didn't know she could make herself float like. And she was getting so close to the weapon, too. "Iida!"

He noticed it as well and zoomed towards the weapon just before Ochaco could even touch it. He zoomed on the other side of the room, putting him and Mia between Ochaco and the bomb once more. She fell right out of the air, tumbling on the ground and into the wall. "Nice try! But I can keep the weapon out of your reach all day. The clock is ticking. Bwhahahaha!"

"And I won't let you pull that little stunt again."

_"Bakugo,"_ All Might's voice rang over the intercom once more. _"Use that stored up power again, and I will stop the fight. Your team will lose."_

**_"WHHHHHHAAAAAAAA!"_** she could hear the faint scream of the blond.

_"To employ such a strong attack indoors is inviting the destruction of the stronghold you should be protecting. That's a poor strategy, for a hero or a villain."_

Mia grit her teeth. That idiot better not cause them to fail.

She glared at Ochaco, who had been talking away into her radio while All Might spoke. Probably to check on Deku. Every fiber of her being wanted to ask how he was, but she bit any worried question she had back. Later. Right now, she had other priorities.

She made another move, this time, not with Lulu, who disappeared, but with Pecci. She sent her after Ochaco. The Puppet twitched, her frontal body cracking until it burst open, revealing the hollow cavity inside. She needed to capture Ochaco quickly. Time was running out, and it sounded like Deku was in a lot of trouble. If she could catch Ochaco, then she could go find Deku and catch him so that Bakugo didn't kill him.

She leaped out of the way again, Pecci just barely missing her. The brunette leaped from pillar to pillar, dodging each swipe that Pecci made for her.

_"Both of you, stop!"_

"RIGHT!" Ochaco suddenly yelled, hugging one of the pillars.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise, and the ground buckled before it crumbled and shot up into the air. A massive gale of wind blew about, and rubble all but hovered in the air. The windows shattered into a million pieces.

"What the?"

A giant hole in the floor that went several stories down. A glance down the gaping hole, Mia could see Deku and Bakugo.

"This is it. Sorry, guys!" Mia looked up just as Ochaco swung the pillar she was hugging like a baseball bat, sending every piece of rubble towards Mia. Towards Iida.

Towards the weapon. Which was stupid, even if it was fake.

Mia reacted quickly, running towards Iida with Pecci on her tail. "DUCK!" she yelled, pushing him onto the ground. Pecci flew in front of them, her wings expanding and linking together to form a protective shield. Concrete began pounding against the puppet, and as Mia covered her head to protect it just in case of any stray rocks, Ochaco leaped over them.

_**"THE HEROES WIIIIIIN!"**_ was the next thing she heard, and, looking up, she saw Ochaco hugging the weapon.


	5. Chapter 5

After the announcement that the Heroes won, Mia immediately ran out the door, not hearing the faint protests of Iida as he helped Ochaco down from the weapon. She practically leaped down the stairs, catching herself against the wall as she stumbled at the last step.

The sight before her halted her in her tracks. Deku was falling to the ground, his eyes fluttering to a close. She noticed that his right arm was discolored, limp as if his bones were shattered. His other arm was also badly damaged, but it wasn't broken. His face had the early stages of bruising, some particularly nasty ones already darker than the others.

Mia was about to take a step forward, her fists clenched tightly, but a large hand on her shoulder stopped her. She looked up to see All Might, looking ahead at both boys. Two robots carrying a stretcher rushed by, loading Deku onto it and carrying him away.

Bakugo was shaking, his fists clenching and unclenching. She could have sworn she heard his breathing begin to race. While she knew he wouldn't, she hoped that he felt some inkling of guilt for what he did to Deku. Wistful thinking, she knew.

All Might quickly walked over towards Bakugo, resting a hand on his shoulder to ease his distress. "Cool your jets, Young Bakugo. Let's go review your work. Even though you lost, you can use this as an opportunity to learn and grow."

Before All Might and Bakugo could turn around, Mia was gone.

* * *

They were all in the monitoring room, and a large screen with several different loops of the footage showed, displaying each point of interest during the match. Mia stood in the center of the class, trying to keep as far from Bakugo as she possibly could. She had been so close to punching him, and, if All Might hadn't of stepped in, she would have.

Hell, she was still itching to.

She felt a presence step next to her, and a glance showed that it was Todoroki!

_Don't tell me he moved to stand next to me?_

She flashed him a smile that didn't completely reach her eyes.

"So, despite the results, the MVP of this exercise has to go to Young Iida!" All Might announced, which was very surprising to everyone. More so to Iida.

"But, wait… Shouldn't it one of the heroes? Since they won?"

"Valid question, Young Asui! Why didn't I choose one of them? Can anyone guess?!"

"Allow me to explain," Yaoyorozu said, raising her hand. "Iida embraced the challenge. He was the only one who truly adapted to their role. Tanaka adapted slightly but didn't take it as seriously as him. Bakugo acted villainously due to selfish intent. His judgment was clouded by a personal grudge against Midoriya. Both of their plans were foolish and not very well thought out. Bakugo could have taken down the entire building with that one big attack and-"

Yaoyorozu's voice trailed off as Mia focused on the screen, watching in horror as she watched replays of exactly what the other girl was talking about. The sheer power behind Bakugo's attacks was ridiculous, and Mia's stomach bubbled with rage.

With a growl, she looked back at Bakugo, her eyes ablaze, and she stormed over to the sulking teen, aggressively bumping shoulders with a classmate or two. She felt someone grab her wrist, but she yanked it away. "Hey!" she yelled, getting Bakugo's attention.

"Young Tanaka! Stand do-"

Too late. Before he could finish, before Bakugo could even react, her fist connected with his jaw. He barely flinched, though his eyes narrowed into deadly slits at the girl.

Mia, on the other hand, let out a pained cry, taking a step back as she cradled her hand close to her chest. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "You bastard. What did you do to him!?" she hissed, taking a step back as he stepped forward.

He was too fast for her, his hand shooting up and clutching the collar of her cape. He pulled her in close, his nose barely touching hers. "That nerd got what he deserved! You hit me again, I'll make sure you get yours, Shortstop!"

"You're a right mess, you know that? You shouldn't even be here!"

"Says the girl who can't throw a punch without breaking her hand!" His spit sprayed over her face, though she didn't flinch.

In fact, her anger only continued to intensify. "At least I'm not a pathetic piece of shit! You're a disgrace to this school, and you'll be a sorry excuse for a hero!"

Bakugo let out a ferocious growl, rearing back his fist.

Mia's eyes widened.

Several students rushed forward, Kirishima and Iida grabbing both of Bakugo's arms. Kirishima had to pry his hand away so that Mia could be pulled away by someone else. Their strong arms wrapped around her stomach, backing up as she tried to kick at Bakugo. _"Let him hit me!"_ she growled, trying to pry her way out of their arms, momentarily forgetting about her hand. She winced.

"Calm down," she heard a whisper in her ear, and she glanced back to see that is was Todoroki who had pried her away from Bakugo.

**_"ENOUGH!"_**

Everyone froze and looked at All Might. He was glaring at Mia, his signature smile had disappeared. She felt her anger fade under the shadow he cast.

Once Todoroki felt her relax and was certain she wasn't going to do something stupid once more, he lowered her back to the ground. She could have sworn that his arms lingered for a mere second longer than they needed to, but it was forgotten as All Might laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Walk with me outside," he said, his voice hard.

"Ye-yes sir…"

They both walked out of the room and a few halls away from the room. Once they were away from prying ears, once the realization of what she just did sank in, Mia began to tremble, her throat clenching as she tried and failed miserably to hold back a sob. She had attacked another student. She held her hands to her face, an attempt to shield her shame from one of her biggest idols.

All Might crossed his arms, watching as she stepped away from him. He let out a sigh. "Go see Recovery Girl about your hand. I am going to have to report this to Principal Nezu…"

Mia could only nod. If she spoke, she feared she would have wept uncontrollably…

_I could be expelled for this…_

* * *

_"Mwaaaaaaaah!"_ Recovery Girl's lips pressed against Mia's hand, and immediately, the pain subsided. The swelling went down and any fingers that were crooked straightened right up.

Mia then cradled her hand in her lap, watching as she lazily curled her fingers in silence. She glanced to the left and saw Deku in another bed, wrapped up in bandages and casts. Her chest tightened again as tears welled once more.

Recovery Girl let out a huffy sigh. "I swear, if I receive another injured student from All Might's teaching, I'm going to-"

"I punched him," Mia murmured, clenching her eyes shut. "I'm so stupid…"

"That's one word for it," Aizawa said, lingering in the doorway, his tired eyes full of irritation. "Is she clear for release?" Recovery Girl nodded her head, and Aizawa turned, motioning for her to follow.

She hesitantly got out of the bed, bowing to Recovery Girl, and followed after Aizawa in silence. He led her to Principal Nezu's office. An animal, one that looked like a combination of several different species, sat at his desk, his cute little paws folded in front of him.

"Afternoon, Ms. Tanaka," he greeted. He motioned towards one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Please. Take a seat." She did. "Now, I am to understand that you attacked one of your classmates outside of a training simulation. Is that correct?" She nodded her head. "Hmmm. I am sure that you are aware that fighting amongst yourselves is prohibited. We take these things very seriously."

"I have half a mind to expel you right on the spot," Aizawa added, causing Mia to flinch as he confirmed her fears.

"I would understand it if you did." Mia looked down at the hands in her lap, her cheeks as a new wave of embarrassment washed over her. "I did something stupid, and I acted in anger. I would like to apologize… I-" Her words trailed off, her breathing picking up. Damn, this pain in her chest.

"Note that Aizawa said he had half a mind. It took some convincing on All Might's part for him to reconsider." Mia blinked and looked back at her homeroom teacher, his stern gaze locking onto hers. She flinched and looked back at Nezu.

"So, I'm not going to be expelled?"

"No."

"But you will be walking a very thin line. I suggest you keep on your very best behavior. This will be your only warning."

"Yes, sir…"

"Of course, there is something you have to do."

* * *

Mia stood in front of the class, her hands folded before her. She held a blank stare, avoiding meeting the eyes of her friends. Her fists clenched at her skirt before she bowed deeply. "I would like to apologize," she announced, fidgeting with he skirt. Her brows furrowed as she straightened up. "To both the class and to Bakugo." Her words were hesitant. While she felt genuine remorse for what she had done, she felt sick offering him her apology. She bowed again. "I'm not usually like that. It will not happen again."

After a moment, she went to her seat, ignoring Bakugo's glare while slumping into her chair. She felt holes being burned into her body from all angles. Judgment from her peers. She dared not to meet any of them.

She didn't want to look at Todoroki, finding herself oddly shameful in front of him. What did he think of her? After her childish display.

"Not gonna lie, it was pretty badass to watch you go at him like that!"

Mia looked up in surprise. Kirishima stood in front of her desk, his big, goofy grin flooding her vision.

"Yeah, girl! You're so fearless!" Hagakure praised, her disembodied uniform bouncing. "He just has to look at me with that scary scowl, and I wanna hide!"

"I've never been more attracted to a woman," Mineta drooled and shivered, daring to come over to her desk.

"Please, don't come near me…"

"Too bad she hits like Deku," growled the blond in question, standing up. He turned to look back at Mia, and electricity sparked between them. He brushed his thumb against his jaw. "Not even a bruise."

"Oh, there she goes again! Meeting his scary glare!"

The door opened, and Deku walked through, which broke the tension almost instantly. Mia stood and rushed towards him. Apparently, several other students had the same idea.

"Hey, Midoriya!" Kirishima called, patting him on the shoulder. "Good to see you back so soon, super!"

Deku was taken aback. "Re-really?"

"Man, I don't know what you were saying, but you look so fired up!" Kirishima rested his fists on his hips. "Bakugo is just heating people left and right!"

"Huh?"

"It was quite impressive how you stood your own against him!"

"It was so cool!"

Mia couldn't hold back her giggle, smiling softly as everyone around began to properly introduce themselves. Even Todoroki made his way over to the crowd. He kept silent, though Mia was quite aware of how close he stood next to her.

She cast him a glance, and he gave the slightest smiles.

She smiled back, her cheeks flushing softly.


	6. Chapter 6

_Bzzzt. Bzzzzt._

Mia heard her phone vibrate, and she peeled her eyes open just in time to see the said device slide down her pillow and fall onto her mattress. Groaning ever so softly, rubbing her eyes, she picked it up and immediately regretted life. "Agh!" she cried, squinting her eyes as she lowered the brightness of her phone. She grumbled to herself, checking to see what had woken her up before her alarm went off.

_A text message?_ She glanced at the time, and she murmured in annoyance. _Who is texting me at freaking 6 o'clock?_

She swiped down, and almost immediately, her annoyance melted away into surprise once she saw that it was from Todoroki.

_Would you like to accompany me to school today?_

She felt her cheeks warm, and she quickly typed out her reply.

_Yeah, sure! Meet at the station?_

_That works._

Mia found it hard to go back to sleep after she and Todoroki decided on where and when to meet up. She had to remind herself that it was nothing more than them walking together as friends. Acquaintances, really.

At least he was making an effort in being friendly this time, rather than her being the only one who strikes a conversation. Whatever sprung this sudden request, she wasn't going to question or complain about it.

She got ready pretty quickly, with more than enough time to spare. Maybe she could get some writing in before school? She sat down at her desk, pushing her mic stand away so that she could write without her equipment getting in the way and hitting her head. Her laptop sat open and pinged to life once she moved over the mousepad. A picture of two girls greeted her, a black-haired youth clutching the white-haired girl oh so tightly, both with wide and toothy grins.

Mia smiled softly before turning on music.

She pulled out one of her many notebooks out from her drawers, the word _Lyrics_ written on the cover and nonchalantly flipped through it until she got to an empty page. She held a pen to the page, her brow furrowed ever so slightly…

_Why can't I…_

After a few moments of literally nothing coming to mind, she groaned in frustration. And slammed the book shut.

* * *

It was a few minutes until 8 o'clock, and Mia was just now making it to the station. She was early, she knew, but that didn't stop her from looking around the crowd as best she could for her classmate, just in case he was early too. A slight bounce here and there, and she could see the faintest of glimpses of red and white hair.

She promptly pushed her way through the crowd to get to him. His gaze was elsewhere, hands stuffed in his pockets. The light breeze caught random strands of his hair, the morning sunlight catching his strong jaw.

Mia couldn't help the soft blush once she noticed his turquoise eye slowly glance over at her, followed by him turning to face her.

_Come on, Mia… Now's not the time to get flustered over a little crush! You're training to become a hero. Not get swept away by the first cute guy who pays attention to you._

"Hi, Todoroki!" she chirped, walking over to him with a shy wave.

"Morning," he responded, meeting her halfway.

Together, the two made their way inside the station and onto the train after paying for admission. They sat next to one another, shoulders all but practically smushed together as the train grew more crowded.

Todoroki let out a grunt. Soft, barely audible, but she had heard it.

Mia shifted ever so slightly just so that they had a bit more comfort. So that she wasn't invading his personal space more than needed.

After a moment of silence, of Mia twiddling her fingers in her lap, Todoroki spoke. "How's your hand?"

Mia blinked and looked up him. He glanced back, his eyes burning into her own. "It's okay. Recovery Girl healed it yesterday, so… Ya know." She sank in her seat, absentmindedly tugging at her blazer. "What really hurts is looking back at how stupid I was." Todoroki didn't respond. "As I said, I'm not usually like that."

"Why did you do it?"

His question caught her off guard, and, for a moment, she couldn't quite find the answer to his question. Saying she was angry was a pretty piss-poor excuse as to why she punched Bakugo. But, it was the only thing she could think to say that properly conveyed what she had felt at that moment. "I was… Angry. I've never been so angry in my…" There was one other time. She sighed. "I try not to get that angry. I don't like it. I don't like how it feels. But seeing how ruthless he was going after Deku… The hatred in his eyes for seemingly no reason. It rubbed me the wrong way."

"But why? You owe Midoriya nothing like that."

"I would like to think we're becoming friends."

"That doesn't justify-"

"Of _course_ it does! Friends look out for one another. It's more than just spending time with each other. True friends will form strong bonds with each other, and part of that is having each other's backs. Me and Deku may not be at that stage yet. I mean, I met the guy during the entrance exam. But that doesn't mean I'm not gonna stick up for him." Mia's gaze softened as she looked ahead. "Besides, I get the feeling that no one's ever stuck up for him before. And I'll do it again." She let out a soft giggle before looking back at Todoroki, scratching the back of her head. "Hehe… Though, Aizawa isn't happy with me. I'll have to stick up for Deku in a way that won't get me expelled."

Silence.

"Are we friends?"

Mia blinked and faced him, almost letting out a soft yelp after realizing just how close his face was to hers. She had to lean back just so that her nose didn't brush against his. "Do… Do you want to be friends?" she found herself asking, looking back at her lap to hide the flush of her cheeks. "Because I would like to think we are."

She dared a glance only to see that Todoroki was staring up at the ceiling, almost as if he were in deep thought. "I've never had any friends before," he admitted softly, which was shocking, to say the least. "I suppose we are friends?" He looked back at her, and she felt her chest go _ba-dumph!_ as his eyes met hers in a way that was way too hard to ignore.

* * *

"Oh wow… Look at all those reporters." Mia scratched at her cheek as she stared at the entrance. Over two dozen reporters stood at the school gate, flocking around several of her classmates. "I guess word got out that All Might is a teacher here."

Almost immediately, as if Mia's mere utterance of his name set off big-story-senses in one of the reporters, a brunette with a microphone whirled around. Before Mia and Todoroki could even blink, they were surrounded.

"Wh-what! I wasn't done!" Mia could hear Iida yell, hopping and waving his hands in the air to get the reporter's attention once more.

She ignored him, promptly shoving the microphone in Mia's face. With each question, the mic was shoved closer towards Mia, who took a step back each time the woman invaded her personal space. She backed into Todoroki, who barely blinked at the onslaught of questions. "Tell me! What is it like to be under the tutelage of one of the world's greatest heroes? Is he a good teacher? How are his methods? Could you possibly introduce us to-"

"All Might's not on campus today," came the voice of their deadpanned savior. Attention turned to Aizawa, whose eyebrow quirked in mild annoyance as the paparazzi circled him. Before anyone could ask him the annoying questions that were previously bombarded at the students, he shooed them away. "Get outta here." The look on the brunette reporter's face was priceless, and she looked like she was ready to bite Aizawa's head off. "You've disturbed my students enough as it is." He looked to Mia and Todoroki, beckoning them to follow.

Mia reached down to take him by the wrist, dragging the dual-haired youth away from the crowd. "Thank you, Mr. Aizawa," she breathed, looking back to see the reporter try to follow.

"Wait! My viewers want to know how he is adjusting to life as a teacher!" The trio ignored her calls and pleas, which didn't sit well with her at all. Mia could hear her growl in frustration. "FINE! If you won't get All Might for me, I'll just- AHH!"

A small alarm blared, which caught Mia's attention. She turned around just as metal doors slammed shut, keeping the pesky, shrieking woman from trespassing onto the premises. _"WHAT THE HECK! THAT ALMOST KILLED ME!"_ she screeched.

After that, the three made their way to class 1-A. Mia and Todoroki took their seats, while Aizawa stood at his desk. Everyone was silent as he shuffled through the paperwork on his desk. Then he spoke. "Decent work on yesterday's combat training," he announced all of a sudden. "I saw the video feeds and went over each of your team's results." He looked up from the page in his hand and looked directly at the sand-haired hothead. "Bakugo. You're talented. So quit sulking like a child over this one little loss, okay?"

"Tch… Whatever," the boy in question huffed, looking out the window as his chin rested on top of his curled fist.

"Midoriya." Deku flinched at the call of his name, and he looked up at his teacher. "I see the only way you won that match was by messing up your arm again." Deku slouched in his seat, groaning ever so softly. "Work harder. And don't give me the excuse that you can't control your Quirk. That line is already getting old." Aizawa's tone was harsh, yet it was a necessary harshness. One that was intended to build him up. "You can't keep breaking your body while training here. Your Quirk could be really useful if you could get a grip on it."

Deku let out a surprised gasp, his face lighting up almost immediately.

"Show a little urgency, would ya?"

"Yes, sir!"

Aizawa's gaze turned to Mia, and it was her turn to flinch under his gaze. "I don't believe I have to go over what we discussed yesterday again, do I?"

Mia shook her head. "No, sir."

"Right. Now that that's out of the way, let's get down to business. Our first task will decide your future."

A sense of dread immediately fell over the class, each one fearful of another Quirk test. Or something worse.

"You all need to pick a class representative."

Relief immediately washed away any sense of dread or apprehension.

"Pick me! I wanna be class rep!" Kirishima shouted, hopping up from his desk.

One by one, several of her classmates jumped from their seats, hands raised and a declaration that they should be class rep. Even Bakugo pitched in.

He definitely didn't need that kind of position.

"Not just anyone can be a class rep," Mia interjected, causing a pause in the uproar. "This is an opportunity for someone to be recognized as a leader. You need to be up for that kinda task."

Kaminari leaned against her desk, waggling his eyebrows at her with a wide grin. "Is that your sneaky way of saying that you wanna be class rep, Tanaka?"

Mia giggled and promptly shoved him off her desk, causing the blond to stumble. "Not in the slightest."

"Everyone, please! Be quiet!" Iida finally called. Mia was surprised he hadn't of said anything before now. "As Mia pointed out, a class representative must lead others. That's not something just anyone could do." Mia's eyebrow twitched only slightly as Iida basically said the same thing she just did. "You must first have the trust of your entire class. Therefore, the most logical way of concluding who should fill this role is by democracy. We shall hold an election!"

"It's pretty obvious that you want us to vote for you!" several students quipped, causing Iida to get flustered.

Not that was a bad thing. Mia was certain that many people wanted others to vote for them.

"Is this the best idea?" Kaminari asked, scratching his head as he looked around the class.

"Yeah. I mean, we've only known each other for a few days. How do we know who we could trust?"

"I mean, sure, there will be people who vote for themselves, but there will be some people who get more votes than others." Mia shrugged. "Not everyone is so self-centered to vote for themselves."

They heard a bored sigh, and Mia could see Aizawa wrapping himself up in his sleeping bag once more. "Do what you want. Just decide before my nap is over." He slumped to the ground, his back turned to the rest of the class.

After a short amount of time, the election results were in.

Deku had four votes, and Yaoyorozu had two.

_"HOW THE HECK DID I GET FOUR VOTES!?"_ Deku cried, comically clapping his hands against his cheeks in disbelief.

"Okay, you idiots! Who voted for him?!" Bakugo shouted, jumping up from his chair.

"Well, I certainly wasn't gonna give _you_ my vote," Mia announced, twirling a lock of hair around her finger in mock boredom before she glanced up at Bakugo.

Bakugo whirled around, and if looks could kill, Mia was sure to have been dead many times over. He was yelling at her, but she promptly ignored him with a triumphant grin, casting a knowing glance at Ochaco, whom the white-haired teen knew for damn sure voted for Deku.

"Zero votes…" Iida quivered in his seat, his face shadow cast as his fists clenched and unclenched. "I feared this might happen, but I cannot argue with the system I chose!"

"You voted for someone else? I thought you wanted the position."

"What were you trying to prove here, Iida?"

Iida's head only sank further in his arms, muttering to himself.

Pretty soon, Deku, who was the class rep, and Yaoyorozu, who was the deputy representative, stood at the front of the class. Deku shook as he looked about with uncertainty.

"Is this not some kinda mistake?" he quivered as Yaoyorozu shook her head and pinched at the bridge of her nose.

"I can get behind this!" Kirishima said, flashing a toothy grin.

* * *

Lunchtime rolled around, and the cafeteria was crowded as usual.

"Mia!" Ochaco called, her voice discernible over the many conversations that filtered throughout the room. Mia looked over to see the brunette waving her hand from a table. Deku and Iida sat with her. "Come sit with us!"

Mia looked around, unable to catch glimpse of a certain boy with red and white hair in the crowd. With a soft shrug, she made her way over to the group and sat down next to Ochaco. "Wassap?" she asked, flashing everyone a small grin.

"Midoriya is just voicing his concerns about being class rep."

"I don't think I'm qualified."

Mia rested her chin in her palm and grinned. "Don't sweat it. I think you'll do just fine. I'm sure you didn't feel qualified to be at this school, and yet, here you are." She ignored the panicked sputters the boy gave, focusing on eating her lunch.

"I agree," Iida said, swallowing a bite of his food before looking at Deku. "You're-"

"Apologies," a quiet voice interrupted them, and everyone's attention turned to the new voice. Todoroki stood there, awkwardly avoiding the gazes of his classmates, except for Mia's. "I noticed there was a free seat here. Mind if I-"

"No-not at all!" Deku nervously slid over, offering Todoroki the seat next to him, which he took.

"What brings you over here, Todoroki?" Iida asked, fixing his glasses.

Todoroki met and held Mia's gaze, and a small smile graced his features for a moment. "A friend."

Mia ignored Ochaco's excited little jitters that only grew once she noticed just how red Mia's cheeks were getting. She ate some more rice, looking at Iida as she did so. "What were you saying?" she asked, in hopes of changing the subject.

"Oh! Right. I was simply saying that Midoriya's courage and quick thinking under stress would help make him a worthy leader. The strength he's demonstrated will also add a nice bonus. Those are the reasons I voted for you, at least."

"You were one of the four?" Deku asked, almost unable to believe it.

"I kinda figured that he voted for you as well. I am surprised. I thought you wanted to be class rep. Why didn't you vote for yourself?"

"As you said it yourself, Tanaka-"

_"Miaaaa…"_

"Right. As you said, Mia, not everyone is so self-centered to vote for themselves." Mia smiled and huffed a small laugh. Iida continued. "Wanting a job and being suited for it are two different things. Observing the Iida family's hero agency had taught me that much."

Mia, Deku, and Ochaco all paused in what they were doing, whereas Todoroki continued to eat. His brows arched only slightly, giving the smallest inclination that he had been listening to their conversation.

"Agency?" Mia asked, placing her bowl of rice on her tray and leaning over the table to look at Iida.

"What exactly does your family do?" Deku asked.

Iida stammered, waving his hand as if to shoo away the conversation. "It's nothing, really."

"Y'know. I've been wondering something about you." Ochaco leaned even closer to Iida, causing the teen to lean back as his cheeks burned red. "Admit it, you're filthy rich!"

Iida huffed and looked at his food, prodding at his rice with his chopstick "I was afraid people would treat me differently if they knew about my family." Both Ochaco and Deku moved in closer, cooing in excitement and wonder. He let out a huffy sigh and began to explain. "You see, the Iida's have been pro heroes for generations. It runs in our blood."

"Wow! So cool!"

"Are you guys familiar with the Turbo Hero, Ingenium?"

"I know all about him!" Deku exclaimed, squirming in his seat. "He's super popular and has sixty-five sidekicks working alongside him at his Tokyo agency!"

"He's also your brother," Mia guessed, looking up at Iida, whose face fell as he was about to make that grand announcement. "Hehe… Sorry."

Iida cleared his throat. "Yes. He is my elder brother."

"Oh my gosh! Your family is famous!"

"I can't believe!"

Iida seemed to be basking in this new light, but Mia was too busy focusing on just how poorly Todoroki was attempting at hiding his shaking hands. His eyes, while usually stern and reserved, were twisted and, quite honestly, rather scary. Before Mia could ask what was wrong, he stood up and left the table.

"Wa-was it something I said?" Iida asked, watching as the boy left the cafeteria.

"Excuse me," Mia said, quickly grabbing her tray and dumping it before rushing after him. "Todoroki!" He just kept walking, not even bothering to look back at her. She ran after him, catching his wrist in her hand. He snatched it away from her, whirling around to glare at her with hatred in his eyes that Mia was all too familiar with. Mia gasped, taking a step back and clutching her hands to her chest, her bottom lip trembling. "I-I'm sorry," she whispered.

His eyes widened after a moment, realization sinking in. He covered his face, notably the side that held his scar. "Apologies…"

Swallowing thickly, Mia took a tentative step forward, daring to take his hand once more. He didn't snatch it away this time, though he refused to look at her. "Todoroki, please. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

"Bullshit, it's nothing. Tell me. We're friends, right?" He slowly nodded, dragging his hand down his face to glance down at her. "Well, I got your back. What's wrong?"

A moment of silence passed, and he opened his mouth to speak once more, most likely to say that it was nothing once again.

Mia wouldn't find out, unfortunately.

The school bell began to ring, and over the intercom, a voice could be heard. _"Warning! Level three security breach. All students, please evacuate the building in an orderly fashion."_

Mia looked at Todoroki, eyes wide. "What does… What does that mean?" she asked.

"Someone broke past the barriers." Mia's eyes only widened at that. "Someone infiltrated the school."

Then, at that moment, all hell broke loose…


	7. Chapter 7

"Move out of the way!"

"Let me through!"

"You're squishing me!"

A wave of panicked students swarmed over Mia and Todoroki almost immediately, separating the two teens from one another. Screams filled the halls, drowning out the loud chime of the alarm. In their panic, the rushing student body seemed to care very little about the people they knocked about, shoved aside or trampled over.

_This is ridiculous! Someone could get seriously hurt!_

Mia looked around, her teeth ground together as she fought against the flood of students pushing her forward.

**"IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA MOVE, GET OUT OF MY WAY!"** cried someone behind, grabbing her by the shoulder and shoving her to the side.

Mia let out a girlish yelp as she crashed into another student, causing them to fall over. Mia landed on the kid, though he didn't seem too worse for wear. They needed to get up, though, or else they were gonna get crushed. Mia began to pick herself up, quickly, when-

"Ooof!" A body landed on top of Mia, forcing her back down knocking the wind out of the teen. She tried to inhale, but his weight shifted every time she took a breath. "Get…Get off…of me," she wheezed in between struggled gasps for air.

_"You heard her,"_ an obnoxiously loud voice growled, and suddenly, the weight was lifted as quickly as it had crashed into her. A hand lashed out and grabbed the collar of her blazer, yanking her up. She fell into a hard body and looking up, her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Ba-Bakugo!"

"Come on, Shortstop," he growled, forcing her closer towards the walls where fewer people were gathered.

_Why?_

"Whaaaaagg!"

Mia looked up to see Iida tumbling through the air, surfing above the crowd. "Iida! What are y-"

**CRASH!**

His body crashed into the wall above the exit, sprawled out in a rather funny pose. He looked at the crowd below him, his eyes glistening with determination. "Listen everyone!" he bellowed, causing the panicked crowd to stop and look up at him. "We must remain calm! Everything is okay! It's just the media outside. There is nothing for us to worry about. Remember! We are U.A. students. We must remain calm and prove that we are the best school. One little break-in is not going to scare us!"

Several students by the windows turned to look outside.

"Hey! He's right!"

"Oh good. I was worried."

"The police are here!"

And just like that, the panic died down, relief washing over the crowd. All except Mia. Merely because Bakugo's fingers still clutched the fabric at the back of her neck. "You can let me go now," she grumbled, casting him a side glance.

He grunted in response, releasing her shortly after. His sharp eyes pierced into hers, his scowl growing. At least, until Mia did something he was not expecting.

She turned to face him and bowed. Or rather, attempted to. It wasn't that easy, considering the halls were still crowded, and she didn't want to bump into anyone, especially him. "Thank you," she said softly.

Bakugo's eyes widened a bit, barely softening as his eyebrows disappeared beneath his unkempt bangs. Only for a second. "Yeah, well. I only did it because if anything is gonna kill ya, Shortstop, it's gonna be me!" Oh, there was the Bakugo she knew. He was even foaming at the mouth. "Not some stupid crowd of extras!" That caught the attention of several students from the mob, none of which all too happy with what they heard.

Mia looked up at him, her white bangs tickling her lashes. Her head cocked to the side, her thumb catching her chin as she straightened her back.

_Was he threatening me?_

No. She didn't think so… Even if his choice in words was questionable, she didn't think that was what he was saying at that moment.

Challenging her?

"Mia," a voice sounded behind her, breaking her from her thoughts. Turning around, she could see Todoroki pushing his way through a few students as the crowd finally began to disperse. His icy gaze lingered, not on her, but Bakugo. "Are you okay?"

Mia nodded.

_"HEY! STOP IGNORING ME WHEN I'M THREATENING YOU!"_

Mia glanced back at Bakugo, her eyes narrowing, the corners of her lips curling upwards into a wicked grin. Bakugo quirked a brow, grinding his teeth. "I'm not gonna let you kill me so easily," she challenged, her eyes lighting up as his scowl curled into his own twisted, toothy grin.

"Good."

* * *

"It's time, class rep. Let's begin."

Deku shuddered at the front of the class, his body trembling as he gripped the hem of his blazer and kept his gaze to the ground. "R-right! S-so, first we need to fi-figure out who the other class officers are." He paused, and, after a quick gulp, he looked at the rest of the class. "I wanted to say something before we get into that."

Mia perked up, having been leaning on her fist and twirling a lock of hair in boredom.

Deku continued. "I've been thinking a lot about this. I think Tenya Iida should be our class rep!" He bowed deeply just as murmurs fell over the class. Mia couldn't help but smile softly, especially when she heard Iida gasp. "He was able to get everyone's attention and get everyone in line. I believe he should be the one leading our class." His face beamed, especially when he turned to look at Iida.

"I couldn't agree more," Mia offered, flashing Iida a toothy grin and a thumbs-up as he whirled around to look at her.

"You know what? If Midoriya and Tanaka vouch for Iida, I'm good! He was a big help. He manned up and took charge!"

Several other students offered their agreements, nodding their heads.

After a moment, Iida stood up and bowed. As he straightened, his eyes glistened, and he blinked rapidly, as if he were fighting back tears. "If Midoriya is nominating me for this role, then I humbly accept! I will carry out the duties required of me with honor and to the best of my abilities!"

Mia couldn't help the soft giggle that escaped her lips.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Okay, so, I am struggling a little bit, trying to decide where I want this to go. When starting this, I had intended there to be a blossoming romance between Shoto and Mia. However… The more I write scenes with Mia and Bakugo… Holy cow, I am tempted to wanna ship them together. Because I am absolute trash when it comes to enemies to lovers. And I have a bunch of ideas that make me wanna tickle that trope _juuuuuuust_ a little bit, and I am torn. XD**

**I just wanted to share that with everyone, lol.**

**Now, back to your regularly scheduled program.**

* * *

Aizawa stood in front of his class after everyone had settled on their class executives, his eyes heavy-lidded with a mixture of boredom and exhaustion. "Alright. Settle down, everyone. Listen up. Today's training is gonna be a little bit different. You'll have three instructors. Me, All Might and another faculty member will be keeping tabs on all of you."

"What kinda training is it?" Mia asked, resting her chin in her palm.

To answer her, Aizawa held up a flashcard, much like All Might, though with much less gusto. "We will be doing rescue training. You will be dealing with natural disasters, shipwrecks. Stuff like that."

"Disasters, huh?"

"Looks like we're gonna be doing some legit hero stuff today! Man, I'm so pumped!" Kirishima clenched his fist, grinning.

Others couldn't contain their excitement. Mia could hardly blame them. She was looking forward to this.

After all… This was the area in heroism she was hoping to excel at.

"Guys, I'm not finished yet." Everyone turned their attention back to their teacher, who looked mildly more annoyed than he did a few moments ago. "Now, what you wear in this exercise is up to you. I know you're excited about costumes but remember: you haven't gotten used to them. They may limit your abilities." The lockers which held everyone's costumes slid out of the wall. "This special training's at an off-campus facility, so we'll be taking a bus to get there. Now, get ready."

Aizawa started for the door as Mia's classmates hustled out of their seats.

* * *

Soon enough, everyone stood outside, each clad in their costumes.

Well, everyone but one.

"Hey, Deku!" Mia said, walking over to the green-haired youth, who was currently chatting with Ochaco. He jumped upon hearing her call his name, which caused her to beam at him. He flushed ever so slightly (her smile had been noticeable since she opted to leave her mask in her case). "Why are you in your gym unifor- Oh. Wait. Never mind."

"I was just asking him the same thing!" the brunette said.

"It was pretty trashed after combat training. I'm still waiting for the support company to fix it up."

Mia tilted her head. "Do you know how long that's gonna take?"

Deku shook his head. "No clue. Not too long, I imagine." He opened his mouth just as a shrill whistle cut through their conversation.

Everyone looked up. Iida was standing in front of the bus, waving an arm about sporadically as he obnoxiously blew into his whistle a few more times to ensure he held everyone's attention. "Gather around, everyone! Using your student numbers, form two neat lines so that we may load onto the bus with apt efficiency!" He proceeded to blow into his whistle several more times as if to punctuate his commands.

"Heh… I guess Iida is kicking it into high gear as class rep, huh?" Deku chuckled nervously.

"You coulda prevented this," Mia teased, walking passed him with a toothy grin towards the bus to follow Iida's instruction.

Not that it mattered. The layout of the bus was far different than what Iida had been suspecting, which had sent the poor teen into a fit of despair.

Mia saw a tuff of red and white sitting close to the back, sitting alone. He gazed out the window, only looking her way when she stepped closer. His eyes flitted to the empty spot next to him, a silent invitation which she happily accepted. She sat down, and moments later, the bus began to move.

"Damn this bus's open layout… It ruined my boarding strategy…" he silently wept, hunching over as he buried his fingers into his hair.

"Iida," Ashido started, fighting back a giggle. "You need to chill out."

"Ya know, if we're going to be pointing out the obvious, I'd like to say something," Tsu started, turning to look at Deku. "About you, actually."

"Wha? About me? What is it, Asui?"

"I told you to call me Tsu," she grumbled. "Anyways, I've noticed that your power… It's very similar to All Might's, right?"

The sudden tremble in Deku's voice and change in pitch was enough to catch Mia's attention. She leaned forward, resting her chin on her folded arms as she stared at Deku. "Y-you think so?! I never really thought about it," he said as he scratched his cheek, looking away.

Which also caught Mia's attention. And her suspicions. There was absolutely no way he had not noticed the similarities between both Quirks. He was super obsessed with that stuff.

Kirishima leaned forward. "But Tsu. All Might doesn't hurt himself when he uses his. So there is a big difference."

"You also forget the fact that its possible Deku may have just gotten his Quirk," Mia spoke up, gathering the attention of Tsu and Kirishima. "His body could have just not adapted to it." Deku tensed, and while she couldn't quite see his face, she was very certain what she had just said struck a chord. He was uncomfortable with this conversation, and even more so with what she was saying… She immediately cursed herself for opening her mouth.

She waved a hand dismissively. "Though, the fact that they share similar Quirks is nothing special. Super strength is a fairly common Quirk."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Tsu said, nodding her head. Mia could practically see the tension leave Deku's body, and he even flashed her an appreciative smile.

"Common or not, you could still do a lot of flashy stuff with a Quirk like that," Kirishima said, holding his arm out. "My Hardening is super strong and can destroy bad guys in a fight, yeah, but it doesn't look all that impressive." His arm hardened as he spoke, smooth skin turning solid and jagged.

"Oh, no. I think it looks super awesome!" Deku praised, his eyes growing wide as he stared at Kirishima's arm. "You're definitely pro material with a Quirk like that!"

"You really think so?" Deku nodded. "Heh, thanks, but seems like it would be more popular with a flashier Quirk."

"Ooooh. Speaking of flashy. Mia!" Ashido turned to look at Mia, who jumped a bit, started by the pink teen calling out for her. "I've been dying to ask you about your Quirk! It's so unique!"

"I've never heard of a Quirk like yours. I've been meaning to ask you about it as well," Deku added, reaching into his backpack and pulling out a journal and pen.

"Uuuh… This is putting me on the spot, guys," Mia said, fidgeting in her seat. "What is it that you're wanting to know exactly?"

"Anything!" both Ashido and Deku exclaimed in unison.

By this time, she held the attention of several other students who were interested in the oncoming conversation. Todoroki was no longer looking out the window, his dual-gaze on her. Hell, she thought she could see a glimpse of Bakugo peeking back at her for a millisecond.

She huffed a soft sigh. "I call it Puppet. I can summon and control two puppets."

"Three, actually." Mia looked at Iida, who was, in turn, looking at her. "There was that one at the entrance exam. The one you used to save those kids. The really big one."

"Oh. Yeah. Him. I…" Mia scratched at her nose, looking down. "I don't use him. He's… I don't like him." Her voice had grown softer, small. But before anyone could question her, she started talking again. "The two that I do use are Lulu, the rabbit, and Pecci, the duck. I use Lulu to fight while I keep Pecci close to protect myself."

"That was the one you used as a shield during Uraraka's attack, correct?" Iida asked.

Mia nodded. "Pecci is a sturdy girl. I don't know her limits, but she is pretty tanky."

"Why do you call it her?" Tsu asked, poking at her lip with an overly large finger.

Mia shrugged again. "Because I want to? I dunno. I've done it since I was able to summon them."

"Well, I think they're pretty cool. Scary, yes, but cool!" Ochaco called out, waving her hand at Mia with a bright smile.

"Well, I'd say you've got yourself a pro Quirk, Tanaka," Kirishima started, flushing slightly as she asked him to call her Mia instead. "In fact, I'd say out of all our classmates. Mia, Bakugo and Todoroki are the ones with pro Quirks."

"Sure, but Bakugo's way too angry. He'll never be popular."

Almost immediately, the blond shot up from his seat glaring at Tsu with his fist raised threateningly. "What did you just say?! I'll kill you!"

"See?"

Mia couldn't help but giggle, leaning back in her seat as she watched everyone poke fun at Bakugo. His angered reactions were just too damn funny. Clearly, the hot head wasn't used to being teased so relentlessly by his peers.

The back and forth, while amusing enough to shorten the ride, didn't last very long. Aizawa stood up, looking back at his class. "Hey, hey. We're here. Everyone, stop messing around, 'kay?"

"Yes, sir!" the students called out as the bus slowly rolled to a halt. The students piled out, standing in front of a large, domed building. Sunlight gleamed off of the windows, casting glares that made Mia squint ever so slightly as they approached the building's entrance, and they were immediately met with quite the happy little surprise.

One that had Mia all bunched up, her eyes wide, mouth agape as her hands clenched tightly to her chest. "Oh my gosh! Ohmygoshohmygosh!" She was practically bouncing next to Todoroki.

"Hello!" Greeted a hero, clad in what looked to be a spacesuit, white and puffy. "I have been waiting for you."

"Wow! It's the Space Hero: Th-"

"It's Thirteen!" Mia interrupted, unable to contain herself. Deku didn't seem to mind, though. "She's one of my favorite heroes! She's rescued countless people from all over the world!"

"She's one of my favorites, too!" Ochaco added, grinning at Mia.

Thirteen waved a hand, beckoning the class to follow. "C'mon. I can't wait to show you all what's inside!"

They followed Thirteen into the building, and a wave of gasps flooded from their throats. It looked like some kind of theme park, sectioned off into different areas. There were no rides. No. Instead were areas meant to emulate disasters, like a fallen city after an earthquake, or a mudslide.

"I created this training facility to prepare you with the different types of disasters you will have to face in the real world. I call it the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. USJ for short."

Aizawa approached Thirteen, both whispering to each other. But Mia didn't pay attention to that. Instead, she turned to look up at Todoroki. "This is gonna be exciting!" she beamed brightly. She didn't notice the faint flush of his cheeks as she smiled.

"Clock is ticking. We should get started," Aizawa said, turning back to the class.

"But what about All Might?" Deku asked.

"He is currently busy with other matters. He won't be here till the tail end of the class most likely."

Deku furrowed his brows, looking down.

"So," Thirteen clapped her hands. "Before we begin, let me say one thing. Well… Maybe two things. Or three, or four. Maybe five. Ah! Anyways, as I am sure you are aware, I have a very powerful Quirk. Black Hole. I can use it to suck up anything and turn it to dust. I save quite a many people with my Quirk. But… My Quirk could also be very easily used to kill." This brought forth a slew of gasps from several of Mia's classmates. "Some of you also have powers that can be dangerous. Please don't forget that if you lose focus, you could seriously hurt the people you are sworn to protect. You learned of your Quirks potential, and of how dangerous your Quirks could be against other people. Use the knowledge you received from the fitness test and battle training today. Today, you're going to learn how to use your Quirks to save people's lives. Not to attack enemies or each other. To help. After all, that's what being a hero is all about."

Mia couldn't help the tremble of her bottom lip. This was, after all, why she was training to become a hero. To save lives. Thirteen's words sent shivers down her spine, filling her with a sense of pride. One the washed away any lingering doubt she may have had about pursuing this as a career.

She felt…

Inspired.

The class whooped and cheered after Thirteen was finished with her speech, Mia clapping with wide eyes.

"Now that that's over, let's-"

An electric buzz filled the air, causing the lights to dim around the building, silencing Aizawa. The students looked around, confused. A strange movement near the center of the building caught Mia's attention. The fountain stopped spurting water now and then, stalling until the area started to warp ever so slightly. Twisting and distorting until a swirling vortex began to form. A dark mist, black and purple, began to waft and grow.

Mia gasped, pointing ahead, her body shaking. "Mr. Aizawa!" she hissed.

His eyes widened, and he turned. Suddenly, the mist grew wild and erupted until… A hand burst through it, followed by a hand.

Aizawa tensed. "Stay together! Don't move! Thirteen! Protect the students!"

Then, the rest of her classmates seemed to notice what Mia had.

Slowly, more bodies began to emerge from the mist, one right after the other.

"Has the training already started? But, I thought we were rescuing people."

"No…'" Mia breathed, clutching her hands to her chest.

This was real. These were…

_Villains._


End file.
